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CAROLINA'S
CARIBBEAN CULTURE FESTIVAL 2014 COVERAGE
The 1st Annual Carolina's Caribbean Culture Festival So before getting into the formalities let me put this out there one time, don't sleep on the Hibiscus Entertainment crew and family! These people could party! Geez an' ages! No! Serious thing! I was mistaken in my thinking that I could easily pace myself over the weekend's events of the 1st Annual Carolina's Caribbean Culture Festival that descended on to the state of South Carolina's capital city, Columbia. It was Pump! Pump! and more Pump! With the increasing realization that patrons traveled from afar, and in most cases rolling in deep crews, to partake in the inaugural festivities, from nearby cities of Charlotte and Atlanta, from further New York and Boston, and even transatlantic journeys from London, I knew I was part of something special! The festivities kicked off on Friday night with "Carolina's Lyme". A "wear lime" theme party centered to set the stage for the weekend. Pulled up to venue, Loc'Jayz, at about 10:30pm mark, yes 10:30! I know what you thinking… that is early to go any party or fete… especially by Trini standards, but I wanted to be forefront and not miss any action for the initial celebrations! (The same was to hold true for the remainder of the weekend, at least that was the plan!) Well parking was ample and secure, so no worries there. Without deterrent, was firstly greeted and quickly made it past Ralph, the security, and the ladies tending the door… you always know when you're expected! That is always good! Straight on to the dance floor, which was not yet ram, understandably being early, but there was already vibes with other early patrons already jibbing and pumping to the music of DJ G Sounds; one of the many all star cast of DJs slated for the weekend's festivities. The layout was such that the necessary ingredients for any party, plus a bonus, were sectioned, but connected to the central dance floor - DJ room, the bar, corn soup stall (yes corn soup always is a must!) accented with Caribbean paraphernalia for sale, topped off with a V.I.P section. While the V.I.P area did not have its own bar, those patrons had the privilege of placing drink orders with bar staff, and not undergo navigating to the main bar; which I might add was well stocked with reasonably priced drinks for any budget. My choice is always Johnnie, we always walk hand in hand, so I was good! #justsaying. Additionally, at the V.I.P's immediate disposal were a bevy of pastries and snacks - veggie, beef and potato pies, pholourie (no sticking with the tamarind sauce either!), accra, channa and kurma! Just to name a few! V.I.P section also served as the designated cool zone, since as the night wore on and the crowd thickened, the other areas warmed up significantly. That did not stop the avid party goers from having a time, amongst which included the likes of neo soul artist Sunshyne P, soca artist Champeon, and the versatile Penny N Kirton, all of which were slated to perform at the signature event, "Socarama". These artists are all special and are doing great things, you will be seeing and hearing more of them in the future, guaranteed. Highlight soca artists arrived at the 1:15am mark, with each artist taking the mic giving the cheering crowd a tease as to what was to come at "Socarama"; a free event nonetheless. Yes… I said free! Which artists you ask? Chucky, Benjai and Tallpree were all at Lyme. DJs Ezzy B, Renny, Thunder and Kevy Kev, each continued the vibe, working the crowd with his own style, keeping the session nice, with G Sounds capping off the night 'til the 3 o'clock hour. You know you had a time at a party if you remain 'til the lights come on and complement it with another healthy serving of corn soup and some ole talk, all culminating in an additional hour of post-party shenanigans! Oh well, it was time to rest up and get set for "Socarama" at the park. I was early yet again, with a noon arrival at Riverfront Park; and was keeping with the notion of not missing a beat; so far so good. Such splendor though to be greeted with the reverberating bass of sweet soca music blaring from the speakers, and several tents that sprawled toward the back of the park, encompassing a large assortment of food - bark and shark was my choice of brunch! #justsaying - clothing and costume jewelry that were all available for purchase. The venue was on point - secluded, spacious, with ample greenery, the serenity of nearby flowing river and vantage points to the stage at basically every possible location around the grounds. The crowd continued to file in and before too long, under the blazing Carolina sun, "Socarama", hosted by Kevy Kev, was underway. The show started with an introduction of sweet sound of the steelpan, not only to the seasoned listeners but to newcomers of what was dubbed an ethnicity diverse crowd, including many families with pre-teen children. Local, up and coming reggae artist Lady Impress took the stage next, followed by the parade of the Caribbean islands, with representatives giving the crowd brief introductions and some well known facts about each nation. It was truly great to witness the Caribbean unity that was ever so present, on stage and even throughout the crowd, with Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Jamaica, St. Lucia and of course Trinidad & Tobago being represented. In fact, on many occasions throughout the day, the largest flag at the event, Trinidad & Tobago's, was quite conspicuous and could be seen fluttering high on stage and throughout the crowd, thanks in part to Noel, an enthusiastic rastaman, carrying the national symbol with such rhythm and precision! Adam O of the Cool Breeze Band then gave a guest performance that was punctuated by partygoer John, representing for Antigua through family heritage, showing his wining skills, much to the delight of the ladies! Penny N Kirton was next in the line up and gave a good show including newly minted track "Born Tuh Wine". Champeon followed with his hits "Nastiness" and "Red Devil" and was in full costume with his red leggings, which he changed into with the aid of some eager spectators! Champeon was instructing the all too willing patrons to "come to meh" and "go away from meh", before you knew it was like the jab-jab jumbie took over the place and it was pandemonium on stage! The Fet-ness crew, Kevy Kev, DJ Renny, John, Penny N Kirton all in a frenzy! Sweet! To restore some sanity to the place after the jump-up, was Sunshyne P giving a resounding performance, especially with the crowd favorite hit "Dream Killah" and the Atlanta Drum Jammerz Tassa Group, mixing it up with some Tassa. The event was progressing nicely, it was now 4:45pm and the headline artists were set to kickoff the second half of the show. 5 Star Akil opened the headline acts, and had the crowd in an immediate trance with hits "Partier" and "To Meh Heart". Without interruption and twelve minutes later "I go chuck them" Chucky Gordon kept the vibes flowing with "Blazin" , "I Never" and a hosts of other tunes, reminding the crowd that he was the reigning calypso monarch, taking the patrons back too, with some calypso hits. The show kept on rolling with Tallpree's energetic performance with a slew of jab-jab tunes. His repeated inquiries to the now frenzied crowd as to whether he could leave, garnered resounding responses of "Noooo!" each time. He certainly commanded stage presence and any less should not have been expected… Ya mad or wah?!?! To wrap up the performances was Benjai, who definitely came out to play ("Come Out to Play"), with thirty minutes of hit after hit, but was mindful not to "free up" too much with the youth present in the audience, but much to the chagrin of some patrons who were hoping for an encore of his 2014 Soca Monarch Semi-Finals performance! Ha! Ha! 'llow him! 'llow him! It was photo-op time for the many patrons who gathered behind the stage for an opportunity to take pictures with the artists. For me, I quickly reflected, the show was over, perfectly and smoothly executed. Now with camera aside, only for a few, it was time to partake in some jerk chicken nourishment! A mere three hours later the pumpments had shifted to the Knights of Columbus, also in downtown Columbia for the "A.S.A.P. (As Sexy As Possible)" event, that saw an indoor, main and single room for soca, also housing the bar and V.I.P section, and an outdoor spot for reggae and dancehall enthusiasts. By midnight everyone had consolidated to indoors, and the party was pumping to the selections of the same cast of DJs, but with the addition of Jaspa, joining G Sounds, Thunder, Renny and Kevy Kev. Most of the performers from earlier in day were also in attendance, Sunshyne P, Champeon, Penny N Kirton, Chucky, Tallpree and Benjai. This time though I did not make it to "lights on", but the party was still swinging at my 4am departure, which by the way was not by choice! At 1pm on Sunday, it was Déjà vu, with me straggling back, late, into to the Knights of Columbus for "Breakfast Glow", an all white party. It was a liquid breakfast for me, but all I can say is that, this had to be dubbed a las' lap, as it was very evident that getting in that last bit of fete was on everyone's mind. With the vibes kicked up a few notches, there was some serious energy, revelry and winery in progress! Amidst it all, the madness would cease briefly, just enough for a quick pose, or two, or three, as cameras of all types were in abundance, seemingly to capture the last memorable moments of what was an excellent weekend of events. DJs Renny and G Sounds took us through the last jump up, accented with not one, but two separately and well timed encore performances from the Atlanta Drum Jammerz Tassa Group; all I can say is, it was just waist! It can only be experienced, not explained! It was a wrap! The weekend was over... the foundation was laid. Undoubtedly this was the burgeoning of something exceptional and is destined to blossom into a signature event for the Carolina's. So… listen, and listen good, stay tuned for the 2015 and 2nd installment of Carolina's Caribbean Culture Festival. Mark your calendars; with the Hibiscus family at the forefront, you are guaranteed a splendid and well put together weekend of events. With that, a big shout out to the Hibiscus crew, Gail a.k.a. paparazzi… who probably got the whole TJJ family beat! Camera always in hand and snapping every and anything! And Lisa… well… what can say about Lisa… (in Iwer's voice) Gimme the wine on a Monday morning! Gimme the wine on a Monday evening! Gimme the wine on a J'ouvert morning… wine wine wine wine wine (6x repeat), she likes it! Thanks for putting this together and including Trini Jungle Juice; looking forward to next year's celebrations. We Love Carnival ... We Know Carnival ... WE ARE CARNIVAL!
Hypa Juice a.k.a. Oriental Juice |
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